Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Oct 23: In two tragic incidents within a span of 24 hours, three people — including a woman and her infant daughter — were killed in separate elephant attacks in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district, highlighting the growing human–elephant conflict in the region.

Forest officials said the first incident occurred late Wednesday near Madarihat, close to the Jaldapara National Park, when an elephant suddenly attacked Kader Ali, a resident of Chekamari, as he was returning home. Locals rushed the severely injured man to the Madarihat Rural Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.

The second attack took place early Thursday in Madhya Khayerbari, where Sonia Munda and her 18-month-old daughter, Lakshmi, were sitting outside their home when a wild elephant emerged from the nearby forest and charged at them. Both mother and child were killed instantly.

Residents say elephant incursions from the surrounding forests have become alarmingly frequent, with animals often destroying homes and crops and endangering villagers. Despite repeated appeals, locals allege that forest officials have taken little action to prevent such incidents or erect barriers to keep elephants from entering populated areas.

According to data from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 436 people have died in elephant attacks in West Bengal between 2019 and 2024 — among the highest numbers in India. Experts attribute the rise in encounters to shrinking forest cover and a growing elephant population, which push herds into human settlements in search of food and space.

Authorities have initiated several measures — including elephant corridors, fencing, and local coordination committees — to mitigate the conflict, but Thursday’s incidents underline how fragile coexistence remains in Bengal’s forest-fringe communities.